Rindge

FPU seeking donations

RINDGE — Franklin Pierce University is seeking community donations through an online- and mail-in-based fundraising campaign in order to replace recreational equipment for its North Fields Activity Center know as the Bubble, which collapsed in a February Nor’easter.

Although the school has a comprehensive insurance policy, university officials say they need additional funding to supplement insurance coverage for new equipment and materials. For example, while insurance will reimburse the university for a 10-year-old piece of equipment damaged in the storm, the cost to buy new is greater today, said FPU’s Vice President Ahmad Boura by phone on Thursday.

Because damage assessments are still ongoing at the Bubble, Boura said it is too early to say how much total repairs will cost.

In the meantime, FPU has launched a “30 Days for 300 Donations” fundraising challenge through social media and expanded it to mail-in donations, as well, Boura said. By May 31, the last day of the campaign, Boura said the university is hoping for 300 donations.

“We have not assigned a dollar value to it,” Boura said, adding that it’s the number of donations that counts.

As of late last week, the university had raised more than $4,000 through its campaign.

FPU’s Director of Recreation Doug Carty said earlier this month that the university plans to have its sports recreational facility up and running for the fall semester when classes resume. “But it would be fantastic to have it available for summer programs, too,” he said.

The university celebrated the inflation of the Bubble — which is used by university students and staff, as well as community members — on May 1, nearly three months after the facility succumbed to heavy snow.